Wild’s Mats Zuccarello, Joel Eriksson Ek exit game vs. Canadiens with lower-body injuries

The Minnesota Wild announced that winger Mats Zuccarello and center Joel Eriksson Ek did not return to Thursday’s 3-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens due to lower-body injuries.

#mnwild injury update: forwards Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body) and Mats Zuccarello (lower body) will not return to tonight's game vs. Montreal.

— Minnesota Wild PR (@mnwildPR) November 15, 2024

Zuccarello left the game midway through the first period after he was hit by a shot from teammate Brock Faber. Zuccarello was looked at by a trainer and assisted off the ice into the dressing room, and did not return to the game. There’s currently no confirmation regarding the specifics or the severity of the injury, as well as the timeline for his return.

Zuccarello left the game with nothing on his stats sheet in 3:15 of ice time.

Eriksson Ek’s final shift was in the shift after Zuccarello in the first period, although the cause of his injury is a little less obvious. In that shift, he did receive contact from Canadiens players while in front of the net, and was seen wincing in pain on the bench before leaving the game. He also got hit hard by Habs winger Juraj Slafkovsky during his first shift. Like Zuccarello, there’s currently no confirmation regarding the specifics or the severity of the injury, as well as the timeline for his return.

Eriksson Ek left the game with a shot on net in 3:43 of ice time.

With both Zuccarello and Eriksson Ek having roles in the Wild’s top six forward group going into the game, Minnesota ran a combined line of the two to take top offensive responsibilities for the rest of the game. That line mainly consisted of Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, with Marco Rossi and Marcus Johansen rotating in the last spot.

The only extra forward that the Wild have on their NHL roster at this time is Michael Milne, so if Zuccarello and Eriksson Ek are to miss some time with their respective injuries, they will need to make another move to have a full forward lineup. However, the Wild could also run a lineup of 11 forwards and 7 defensemen, which would draw both Milne and Daemon Hunt into the lineup, unless Jonas Brodin gets healthier and can draw in.

Zuccarello was off to a strong start with 6 goals and 8 assists for 14 points in 16 games this season. Eriksson Ek was having less success early on, with just 5 goals and 3 assists for 8 points in 14 games.

The Wild will look to continue their current stretch of getting points in seven of their last eight games when they host the Dallas Stars on Saturday at 7 p.m. CST. Minnesota currently sits in second in the Central Division with an 11-2-3 record.